AMA At AirVenture Oshkosh 2000
AirVenture Oshkosh 2000, the Experimental Aircraft Association’s (EAA’s) annual convention, was held July 26–August 1 at Wittman Regional Airport in Oshkosh, Wisconsin.
AirVenture is the world’s largest gathering of recreational aviation enthusiasts. The seven-day event offers the public:
- thousands of aircraft displays
- nearly 800 commercial exhibitors
- aviation forums
- daily air shows
- an activity center for children
The year 2000 marked the 15th year of Academy of Model Aeronautics (AMA) participation in the convention.
AMA Exhibit
AMA’s main booth featured member Wes McKinney’s full-scale AT-6 Texan. After being used as a trainer for English and South African pilots in World War II, the Texan was the number-three airplane for the South African Aerobatic Team. The aircraft was purchased and returned to the United States for restoration in 1997.
Displayed underneath the full-scale Texan’s wing was a model Texan with a 101-inch wingspan, built by The Stump Jumpers club of Middlebury Center, Pennsylvania. The AT-6s were painted to match, including original nose art by R.T. Foster. This eye-catching display was augmented by several types of models, a radio-control flight simulator, and AMA literature.
“The show went quite well,” said AMA president Dave Brown. “There were a lot of people going through the booth.”
KidVenture
AMA was heavily involved in KidVenture—a part of AirVenture centered around aviation—which featured hands-on activities for children near the EAA AirVenture Museum.
“It was another year of cooperation between the modeling and full-scale aviation communities—especially at KidVenture,” said AMA Programs Director Jay Mealy.
More than 1,300 children—including kids from 46 states and seven countries—were introduced to control-line flying on four circles located at Pioneer Airport. Sig Manufacturing donated all aircraft that were flown. “It was a record-setting year,” said Jim Krueger, chairman of the control-line flying area. According to him, participation was up 50%.
In the KidVenture tent, volunteers greeted guests and handed out SlingWing hand-launched gliders at the AMA exhibit area.
Volunteers and Support
Seventy-three volunteers from seven states and three countries helped out. They:
- signed in control-line pilots
- fueled and launched airplanes
- repaired crashed models
- took turns instructing
KidVenture also had support from full-scale aviation participants. “Even notable pilots such as Burt Rutan have taken the opportunity to come out and serve as mentors to the kids,” said AMA Coordinator, West Coast Region, Districts 7–11, Wes De Cou.
“Overall, KidVenture was very well done under the leadership of Sean Elliot,” said De Cou.
Events, Speakers, and Education
Many visitors gathered for the daily model air show, looked at model airplanes, tried their hand at aviation art, built rockets and rubber-powered models, and listened to speakers on the "Aviation Heroes Stage."
Chip Mull and Bill Hartman took the stage and explained how modeling influenced their careers. Chip is a captain for US Airways, and Bill serves as a flight instructor for TWA. Both spoke fondly of how model airplanes fostered their interest in full-scale aviation.
On Thursday, July 24, AMA Education Committee members Gordon Schimmel, Rocco Ferrario, and Charles Kelley gave a model-building presentation to teachers and children. Diane Visintainer, a kindergarten teacher from Green Bay, WI, attended the session to gain experiences to share in the classroom.
"It's really important for the children to know what's out there, and be able to form dreams," said Diane.
“We really exposed a lot of kids to aeromodeling ... I think it will bear fruit, not only for model aviation, but for aviation in general,” said Brown.
Looking Ahead
The next edition of AirVenture Oshkosh will take place July 24–30, 2001.
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
